Trainer Cartagena Suspended Two Years, Fined

The Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission has suspended trainer Julio Cartagena two years and fined him $2,500 for a positive drug test in a horse last September.

According to the May 28 ruling, Cartagena-trained Chinglish tested positive for the prohibited medications Nikethamide and N-ethylnicotinamide. Nikethamide, or nicotinic acid diethylamide, was originally used as a stimulant to treat overdoses of sedatives, particularly barbiturates. Several positive tests for the medication prompted the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium last year to draw attention to the harmful effects of the drug. (Read article)

The Delaware ruling said Cartagena's suspension does not take effect until June 20, 2015, because the trainer is serving a 1 1/2-year suspension imposed by Florida regulators that began Dec. 19, 2013, and ends June 19, 2015.

According to the OwnerView.com database, Cartagena had 49 winners from 180 starts in 2013 for a win rate of 27%. Horses in his stable earned $822,560 last year.